White House Statement on the Dispute Between the United Kingdom and Argentina in the
Falkland Islands

April 15, 1982
Late this afternoon, President Galtieri of Argentina called President Reagan to discuss the
situation in the South Atlantic.

During the conversation, President Reagan said that he was wholeheartedly committed to a
peaceful resolution of the dispute. He said that a conflict in the hemisphere between two western
nations would be a tragedy and would leave a bitter legacy. President Reagan also asked for
flexibility and restraint by all parties in the days ahead. With that, he said, we should be able to get
through this together. We still have a ways to go, he added, but he is hopeful that we can find a
just and peaceful solution to this very serious matter. The President also said that Secretary
Haig [Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr], his personal representative, would be arriving in Buenos Aires in a
few hours to continue the efforts of the United States.

As he had in a previous conversation, President Galtieri reaffirmed to President Reagan his
personal desire for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.